Memory Alpha:Recommended changes
Memory Alpha is currently hosted by Fandom, which means Memory Alpha is run on a heavily modified version of }}. Some of the things that Fandom has changed in the MediaWiki software have led to significant problems with editing and maintaining the Memory Alpha database. As such, Memory Alpha has some recommended changes for users' default preferences and that will make editing the database much easier. are responsible for the changes to the database that are made in their name, including errors Fandom's meddling introduces! To avoid having your edits or for things outside your control, Memory Alpha recommends you remove the barriers Fandom has introduced between you and actual the site runs on. Editing preferences Editing experience can change the type of editor in their . Memory Alpha strongly encourages you to use the " ," so you can use our standard formatting s and wikitext markup. The templates were made to standardize formatting, and Fandom's other editors make it harder for users to see the formatting already used on the page, and thus use it themselves. Use of the is strongly discouraged, as that editor adds unwanted wikitext into pages without the editor's knowledge. Edits made with the VisualEditor may be summarily reverted due to this. Starting an edit can change how the software creates new pages and adds categories in their . Memory Alpha encourages you to check the boxes for: * Use a blank page as default for creating a new page * Disable "Create a new article" flow * Disable Category module These changes will return control of how a new page is created, or a category is added, to you. Using a blank page as the default for creating a new page will mean that only what you intended to be added to any new page is what is actually added there. The "create a new article flow" forces users to use Fandom-made templates for pages that are not used on Memory Alpha, since Memory Alpha predates Fandom and its templates. Because we don't use these article templates, it is faster for users to skip the whole thing instead of being forced to choose one and then delete the wikitext. The "flow" also breaks any Memory Alpha preload templates, such as those used in the and for deletion templates and on the page. The category module makes it possible to add categories through a button on the bottom of a page instead of having to enter the editor. It also removes the category wikitext from your view when using the editor, making it impossible for you to copy or modify it, such as added required . The module also occasionally will add a category to a page that isn't the one the user was trying to add. For these reasons, it is recommended that you disable the category module and take the extra few seconds of opening the editor when adding categories to ensure they are added correctly. CSS Memory Alpha maintains a that can add to their . This file restores some standard MediaWiki behavior and removes a number of undesirable elements that Fandom has introduced over the years. You can add this file to your personal CSS by action=edit&preload=MediaWiki:Concealer-import}} clicking this link and saving the page.